Help fund and expand the organization’s permanent habitat programs
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are proud to announce the hiring of Eric Sytsma as the organization’s first Habitat Protection Officer. A longtime employee of the organization at the state of Iowa, Sytsma’s primary new role will be to accelerate efforts to permanently protect habitat in priority upland bird landscapes.
“Eric’s passion for the organization’s Build a Wildlife Area® program was evident in his efforts with chapters to build and grow the program in Iowa,” said Matt Holland, vice president of grant development for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. . “We are very excited to expand Eric’s role providing programmatic focus on the larger picture, increasing our ability to partner and deliver our collective vision for pheasant and quail, while creating access opportunities for hunters.”
Sytsma has been instrumental in providing wildlife habitat conservation solutions for farmers and landowners in southern Iowa since he began working for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever in 2010 as a Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist. In 2014, he assumed the role of Regional Representative for Hawkeye State and was promoted to Senior Regional Representative in 2020. A lifelong Iowa resident who enjoys hunting and fishing, Sytsma earned a bachelor’s degree in animal ecology from the Iowa State University.
As the organization’s habitat protection officer, Sytsma will work to develop relationships with agency partners, willing vendors and donors, and other stakeholders to accelerate ongoing protection efforts for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. You will participate in the development and execution of land protection plans at the landscape level that align with the PF & QF strategic plan, as well as in the simplification and construction of protection protocols and processes to achieve permanent habitat protection in a manner efficient and effective.
“Working with our incredible partners and supporters to permanently protect wildlife habitat and open it up to the public is a critical part of our organization’s mission, and something I am personally very passionate about,” said Eric Sytsma. “I’m excited to be in this new role working with a great team to expand our ability to do more!”
About Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever make up the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 400,000 members, supporters, and partners is dedicated to protecting our highlands through habitat improvement, public access, education, and advocacy. A network of 754 local chapters spread across North America determine how 100 percent of their locally raised funds are spent—the only national conservation organization to operate through this grassroots structure. Since its inception in 1982, the organization has dedicated more than $1 billion to 567,500 habitat projects benefiting 22 million acres.